Portland St. Patrick at Webberville – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – November 27, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is going to basketball’s version of “opening day!” While I will probably not wear camouflage clothing to the game, I still am excited about the first night of the high school basketball season!

Today, the Webberville Spartans will be hosting the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick. As it is the first game of the season for both teams, I believe that once I check with the basketball powers that be, I will learn that both teams are entering the game with a 0-0 record.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this Christmas tune from my You Tube Channel! “Snoopy’s Christmas” has always been a favorite!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pZCnDBHL0

I was able to brave the cold (technically freezing) weather and get out to Webberville for my first basketball game and first real winter driving experience of the season. I got there a bit too early, but after an hour or so, the JV game started.

This was cool, because I had plenty of time to talk with Webberville Coach Tony Rhodes and St. Patrick Coach Curtis Meyers. In another great experience, I learned that fellow musician Bill Moran is the announcer!!

Coach Rhodes gave me this information about his Spartans. They are a young team with no seniors on the roster. However, he has a lot of players who shoot well, so even though he only has a couple players that played much back from last year, he is optimistic about his team’s chances.

Dylan Rhodes is the returning point guard from last year. He understands the game really well and does all the things a good team needs from its on-floor leader. He is a fine dribbler and passer who gets his teammates involved and can hit from the three point line when he is open. He is also a good perimeter defender.

Dominic Driver (what a cool name for a basketball player) is a freshman that brings a lot to the team. He defends well in the perimeter and is tall enough to help in the post as well. On offense, he is a dangerous three point shooter who drives to the basket well. Daxten Feguer and Austin Johnson are fine three point shooters who are also strong perimeter defenders. Michael Bialke is a good post defender and rebounder who is a threat slashing to the basket. Kyle Kubiak is a tough on-ball perimeter defender who is also a good shooter.

These Spartans are a young team. Austin Johnson, a junior, and Dylan Rhodes, a sophomore, are the only returners from last year. Daxten Feguer, Kyle Kubiak and Michael Bialke are sophomores and as mentioned, Dominic Driver is a freshman.

Shamrock Coach Curtis Meyers was also helpful with information about his players. Brayden Simon is a junior in his third year of starting for the varsity. He is a fine athlete with the size to be a huge offensive and defensive threat in the post. He is an excellent rebounder and his strength makes it difficult for opponents to keep him from scoring near the basket. However, he also has the quickness to defend on the perimeter and has a solid three point shot.

I don’t type THIS sentence often, but Jerryd Scheurer is a freshman who is the returning starting point guard. (Yes, he started most of the year last season as an eighth grader.) This year, it looks like he has grown quite a bit. (Last year, he was effective even though he was generally the shortest guy on the floor by at least five or six inches.) This year, he is at least almost as tall as most of his peers on the court.

He brings a great feel for the game and already knows how to run a team as a freshman. He is quick and very disruptive as a perimeter defender. On offense, he runs the team, can get to the basket (where because of his growth, he is a much bigger scoring threat) and can shoot three point shots well off the catch or off the dribble. It will be exciting to see his journey through high school basketball as it is rare to see a person his age who already has a year of varsity experience.

Brady Leonard is a sophomore who had a fairly big role on the team last year. He is a solid three point shooter and perimeter defender. Landon Simpson is a junior guard to is a tough on-ball defender and essentially gives the Shamrocks a second point guard in their line up. He understands the game well and is a fine ball handler, passer and shooter. Sophomore Charlie Thelen is a threat to score near the basket and also a fine three point shooter who had a number of big games for the Shamrocks last year.

Devin Cook is a senior who is a tough defender and rebounder near the basket. Junior Nathan Fears is a fearsome on-ball and general perimeter defender.

In the JV game, St. Patrick and Webberville played a close first quarter; the Shamrocks ended the quarter with an 8-5 lead. The Shamrocks used a 12-2 advantage in the second quarter to move out to a 20-7 halftime lead. Each team scored 11 points in the third quarter. St. Patrick outscored Webberville 14-7 in the fourth quarter. St. Patrick won the game 45-23.

Karson Lycos scored 10 points to lead the Webberville JV scoring. (He played in the first and third quarters only because he was also needed for the varsity game. When he was in the game, Webberville was only outscored by 3 points.) Noah St. Charles had 4 points. Jonah Spencer scored 3 points. Camdyn Bucchanon, Kaleb Matiyow and Trevor Slick-Robinson each tallied 2 points.

Mason Simon led the victorious Shamrock JVs with 19 points. Sean Fedewa added 7 points. Isaiah Rockey and Aiden Mosser each put in 6 points. Aiden Fandel added 4 points and Augustus Teachworth scored 3 points.

Announcer Bill Moran played a recording of him, his son and his daughter singing our National Anthem in a beautifully arranged and executed three part harmony. He also did a fine job using his dulcet tones to introduce the lineups and to announce the game! (I’m a musician myself and love to salute a musical job well done!)

It is now time to look through the events of the game through the hopefully observant lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the days of yore. His game was forever altered in a negative way when the basketball powers that be refused to allow him to use his pogo stick to help him block layups.

Webberville wins the opening tap. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick (a Shamrock player, not the Saint, himself) misses a fast break layup. Daxten Feguer throws in a three pointer from the wing to give the Spartans the first three points of the game. Jerryd Scheurer gets the ball to Brayden Simon, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to trim the Webberville lead to 3-2 with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Charlie Thelen gets his hand on the ball and causes a Spartan travelling violation. Brayden Simon is fouled on a driving hook shot and hits one of his two free throws to tie the game at 3-3 with 5:14 to play in the first quarter.

The scoreboard had an anxiety attack and refused to do its job until the people at the scoring table performed the tasks necessary to appease it.

After the scoreboard came back, (It happened a few times during the game; I may not put that in much – – I don’t believe it really affected the outcome of the game much if at all.) the game resumed. (Fortunately, the Bleacher Denizen is not subject to an editor, thus the previous sentence managed to get into the article even though it is a clunky, run-on sentence. I will TRY to do better as the game progresses.)

Webberville misses a threeball from the top of the key; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks take possession. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Brayden Simon tips the rebound out to Landon Simpson. Jerryd Scheurer drives the lane and dishes the ball to Brayden Simon, who scores a layup and is fouled. After he makes his free throw, St. Patrick has a 6-3 lead with 3:36 to go in the first quarter.

Austin Johnson drives and hits a layup for the Spartans. St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Webberville misses a three point shot from the top of the key. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Brady Leonard hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Dylan Rhodes makes a nice dribble move and hits a seventeen foot shot from the side to cut the St. Patrick lead to 8-7.

St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the side. Charlie Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks miss a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. The Shamrocks miss a layup and Devin Cook is fouled on a putback. Devin Cook hits one of his two free throws to give St. Patrick a 9-7 lead with 1:45 to play in the first quarter.

Webberville misses a driving layup. Austin Johnson steals the ball for the Spartans. Webberville misses a fast break layup. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Webberville misses a three pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 9-7 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get the second quarter underway. Jerryd Scheurer throws in a threeball near the top of the key for the Shamrocks. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. He hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 14-7 lead with 7:28 remaining in the first half.

Landon Simpson steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Webberville misses a three point attempt from the wing. Dominic Driver hits a putback for Webberville. Kyle Kubick’s tough defense causes a Shamrock travelling violation. Webberville misfires on a triple try from the wing. Kyle Kubick makes his second excellent play in about 30 seconds as he throws the rebound off a Shamrock player to earn another possession for his Spartans. Dominic Driver drives the baseline and hits a layup to trim the Shamrock lead to 14-11.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Lucas Simon hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Webberville misses a threeball from the top of the key. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a threeball from the top of the key. Austin Johnson passes to Dominic Driver, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Spartans to trim the Shamrock lead to 16-14.

Dominic Driver (I’m typing this freshman’s name a lot this quarter!) steals the ball and hits a layup for Webberville to tie the game. He makes his free throw to give Webberville a 17-16 lead with 4:03 left on the first half clock.

St. Patrick misses a runner in the lane. Charlie Thelen gets the offensive rebound. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Charlie Thelen gets another offensive rebound. St. Patrick misses a layup. Brayden Simon gets the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a layup. Webberville misses a three point shot from the side. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Webberville misses a driving layup. The Bleacher Denizen misses seeing the ball go into the basket.

Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a three pointer from the side to put St. Patrick back on top by two points. Webberville misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Kyle Kubick’s imposing defense forces another Shamrock traveling violation. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. Dominic Driver steals a Shamrock pass, drives the baseline and hits a six foot jumper to tie the game at 19-19.

With 29.8 seconds left in the half, St. Patrick is fouled, but misses two free throws. Daxten Feguer drives from the side to hit a layup that gives the Spartans the lead. St. Patrick misses a long heave at the buzzer.

Webberville will take a 21-19 lead into the locker room at halftime. I imagine that unless there is a major rule change, that Webberville will also lead 21-19 when the second half begins.

As there is no halftime entertainment, maybe we can listen to a couple tunes from my You Tube Channel instead. (I hope they are half as good as the great rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that Mr. Moran played to open the game!)

Here is an original rocker called “Won’t Be Alone Too Long”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_qnhfMT2k

And here is a not so classical approach to the not so classical “Chopsticks.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0&t=35s

It is time to start the third quarter. Your Bleacher Denizen is proud to declare that Webberville still has its 21-19 lead, just as he predicted!!!

The Spartans inbound the ball to open the third quarter. They lose a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Webberville misses a ten foot shot from the side. Daxten Feguer snares the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a ten foot shot from the side. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. Dylan Rhodes, the shortest player on the floor comes up with the offensive rebound for Webberville and proceeds to drill a threeball from the wing to boost the Spartan lead to 24-19.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Brayden Simon pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Landon Simpson, who hits a three point shot to trim the Webberville lead to two points. Brady Leonard hustles and knocks the ball out of bounds; Webberville retains possession. St. Patrick is assessed with a traveling violation. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Spartans get another opportunity. Austin Johnson passes to Dominic Driver, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Webberville’s lead to 27-22.

A St. Patrick layup gets wedged between the rim and the backboard. Before your aging Bleacher Denizen could offer his services to leap into the sky to dislodge the ball, someone else beats him to it. (Sometimes, an old guy just wants to find a way to contribute. Sigh. I feel ignored.) The Shamrocks ignore the aging Bleacher Denizen’s angst and inbound the ball. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Austin Johnson drives and hits a layup that gives Webberville a 29-22 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Daxten Feguer drives the baseline, jumps, and hits an eight foot scooped shot for Webberville. Brayden Simon drives from the side and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Dylan Rhodes passes to Daxten Feguer, who hits a three point shot from the side for Webberville. Brady Leonard hits a layup to trim the Spartan lead to 34-28.

Austin Johnson launches and hits a threeball from the wing for Webberville. Landon Simpson drives and hits a reverse layup for the Shamrocks. Austin Johnson inbounds the ball to Michael Bialke, who hits a layup, is fouled and hits his free throw to give Webberville a 40-30 lead with 34.5 seconds remaining in quarter number three.

Jerryd Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Webberville is whistled for setting a moving pick. Michael Bialke nearly steals the ball for the Spartans, but Brady Leonard grabs the ball to save the Shamrock possession. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Charlie Thelen hits a putback for the Shamrocks as the third quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After three quarters, Webberville holds a 40-34 lead.

Webberville inbounds the ball to open quarter number four. Dylan Rhodes drives and dishes the ball to Daxten Feguer, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Spartans. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Brady Leonard saves the offensive rebound and passes to Landon Simpson for a Shamrock layup to trim the Spartan lead to 43-36.

Webberville misses a three point shot from the corner. Dominic Driver gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the side. Dylan Rhodes is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws for Webberville. With 6:29 left on the clock, Webberville leads 44-36.

Michael Bialke pulls down the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville commits an offensive foul. Austin Johnson steals the Shamrock inbound pass, hits a fast break layup and makes his free throw. St. Patrick misses a layup. Dylan Rhodes drives and hits a layup to give Webberville a 49-36 lead.

St. Patrick misses a layup. Brayden Simon snares the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a driving five foot shot in the lane. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Dylan Rhodes nearly steals the ball for the Spartans, but the Shamrocks recover. Jerryd Scheurer is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Webberville lead to 49-38 with 4:10 remaining.

Austin Johnson drives and banes in a ten foot shot for Webberville. Jerryd Scheurer drives and passes to Brayden Simon for a Shamrock layup. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks misfire on a threeball from the side. Jerryd Scheurer taps the ball; in the scrum to retrieve the ball, Webberville commits an offensive foul. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brayden Simon for a Shamrock layup. Austin Johnson passes the ball to Kyle Kubick, who quickly relays the ball to Daxten Feguer who scores a layup to give Webberville a 53-42 lead.

St. Patrick misses a jump shot; Landon Simpson grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Brayden Simon, drives, hits a layup, is fouled and sinks his free throw to trim the Webberville lead to 53-45 with 1:43 remaining in the game.

Brayden Simon knocks the ball away from Webberville and Landon Simpson picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a layup, but get the offensive rebound. Brayden Simon hits a layup for St. Patrick. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball and hits a layup to cut the Webberville lead to 53-49.

Dylan Rhodes drives and dishes the ball to Dominic Driver, who eschews the drive and sinks a three point shot from the side to give the Spartans a seven point lead. St. Patrick misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Webberville loses its inbound pass out of bounds.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Charlie Thelen gets the offensive rebound. St. Patrick misses a layup. Charlie Thelen gets another offensive rebound and St. Patrick misses another layup. Brady Leonard gets his hand on the ball and Webberville loses it out of bounds. Brady Leonard slings a long pass to Brayden Simon, who hits a layup to trim the Spartan lead to 56-51.

Dominic Driver is fouled and hits two free throws with five seconds left to boost Webberville to a seven point lead. Brayden Simon’s fifty foot heave hits the back of the rim as time expires.

Webberville wins its season opener by a 58-51 score.

Brayden Simon led the St. Patrick scoring with 24 points. Jerryd Scheurer joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Landon Simpson tossed in 7 points. Brady Leonard added 4 points. Lucas Simon and Charlie Thelen each tallied 2 points. Devin Cook had 1 point.

Dominic Driver led the victorious Webberville team with 20 points. Daxten Feguer supported him with 15 points and Austin Johnson put in 12 points. Dylan Rhodes added 8 points and Michael Bialke scored 3.